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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rock — music
  4. game — wild animals
  5. craft — boats
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. squash — to crush
  8. suit — to fit
  9. craft — a skill
  10. last — to go on
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. last — finally
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. last — final
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rock — a stone
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com